Youth Exploring Science - YES

other plants in the solar smyte

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 21:57:52 +0000

recently the snicest discovred that they are driffent earths.

Fenix Fuels Burn All Competition

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 17:15:39 +0000

Fenix Fuels today announces that they will be focusing on using leftover coffee grounds as a source of fuel to cook food.

They will be exploring various methods of using these grounds in a method similar to charcoal briquettes.

Crowds rejoice in the fact that they will never have to pay to cook food again.

If you have used coffee grounds and you would like to donate them to Fenix Fuel's cause, please email Matthew Stevens at:

mstevens@slsc.org

Warm winter disturbs hibernating animals

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:10:28 +0000

You might not know this about me but I have a Black Labrador Retriever named Ninja. One of his most favorite things to do is chase squirrels in the park on his daily walks. Usually at this time of year he starts to get fat because there aren't many squirrels to chase, but since this winter has had such mild temperatures he's been getting thisclose to catching himself quite a few furry friends. So yesterday morning I started thinking about what these mild temperatures might mean for all the hibernating, or dormant, species come spring time. Will Ninja have more squirrel friends to chase because they'll start mating earlier? What if it gets really cold again and there's another frost? The squirrels' food sources might die and then they could starve to death...or start dining alfresco more often from the dumpsters in the alleys.

Climatologists, scientists who study weather patterns and their effect on the ecosystem, say that this warmer weather trend is likely to continue into April and it could very well effect food sources and hibernation patterns. In fact, Black Bears are expected to come out of hibernation in a few weeks, earlier than when their internal alarm tends to go off in March. When they wake up their fat reserves will have been depleted and they'll be really hungry. Most of their diet is plant based, so since there isn't a ton growing right now (as there would be more in March) they'll be searching around human generated food sources, like bird feeders or garbage bins.

John Burroughs senior wins 2012 Brain Bee

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 22:45:03 +0000

Ever heard of an action potential (Clue: It has little to do with the likelihood that a person will become the next Bruce Willis)? On Saturday, January 28th, 2012, 15 teens from across the Saint Louis area gathered at the Saint Louis Science Center's Taylor Building for a competition called the Brain Bee to see who knew the most stuff about neuroscience.

Senior Nathan Nguyen from John Burroughs won the competition after a top-ten finish on his written exam and a victory in the oral exam.

Some pictures are already up for the event on Flickr, and look out for a full photo story on SciJourner.org!

The Brain Bee Champs:

College Prep

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 21:14:10 +0000

College prep was really fun today and it is really helping me get prepared for college. We finshed up our fafsa and we strated work on our scholorships on fastweb. Going to college prep really keeps me on track with the things that I need to be doing for college and making sure I have a plan for getting money for college and money for staying on campus to have food to eat and to do other things that i want to do while im in college. it also helps me manage my money.

A New Way for Gamers to be Scientists in their Spare Time

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 20:39:56 +0000

http://www.sciencecheerleader.com/2009/04/a_new_way_for_gamers_to_be_scientists_in_their_spare_time/ Video games are everywhere these days! And so, the next time you go to pick up your Wii controllers or log on to your favorite World of Warcraft server, take an hour or so to put your gaming skills to a more scientific use. Scientists at the University of Washington are exploiting our societal love of video games to advance their research on protein folding by creating the game Foldit. Though this program appears to be just a game based on logic, each “move” in the game is actually determining protein structure, one fold at a time. So why should you dedicate your hour of free time folding proteins instead of getting a new high score on Mario Kart? Proteins are biology’s workforce: they drive all of the reactions that make biology work, and comprise all of the structural elements that hold biology together. Proteins self-assemble into specific shapes, or folds, in order to carry out their designated function. When proteins fold incorrectly, they can clump together into aggregates that promote diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, cystic fibrosis, and Mad Cow. And so, by understanding the folding process for particular proteins linked to these diseases, scientists can also begin to predict where folding mistakes may occur and how to avoid them. To get started, download the free Foldit program and take the 20 minute tutorial on the rules of the game. There are also beginner puzzles you can try to familiarize yourself with how the program works. From there, it’s happy folding! A special thank you to JT Lewis, for bringing the Foldit project to my attention. (Reporting on citizen science projects is much easier to do with the help of our readers — this means YOU! Please report any projects you hear about using our form on the main webpage!)

Yogurt Lab !!!!

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 17:13:47 +0000

Every Lab within my component (Plant Biochemistry) has been very interesting and fun. Today we had another lab, which was making yogurt. Not only in this lab did i just follow the directions and made the yogurt, but i learned new things as i went along. I learned that when making yogurt you have to steralize a glass jar in boiling hot water for five minutes. You can not touch the rim of the glass when it has been steralized or you will contaminate the yogurt and other bacteria can grow in your yogurt.I'm so excited to see what happens and how it looks and taste!.

astronomy

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 17:12:03 +0000

solar system models were made today. science science science!!!

solar system

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 17:09:36 +0000

today was the first time i made a solar system! it was exciting. first time for everything lol

Robotics

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 15:29:24 +0000

	Today in robotics I worked on planning with the other programmers and preparing computers for them.
	Tomorrow we will be going to an FRC help meeting in the Exploradome.

The Value of Volunteers

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 17:31:55 +0000

Even though I have been out of high school for more than 10 years, 12 to be exact, I still remember my first day. They had all of the freshmen, sit in the auditorium; they gave us the run down of the school rules and how to act. Then they had us run through our classes. I remember Marshall Allen Miller, he sat in front of me, he became a great friend throughout high school. As I sit back, I ask myself," where there things that I wished someone had prepared me for?" Well, yes! I wish I had someone that told me to volunteer throughout my high school career. I wish I had a science mentor that pushed me more into science or directed me to various job shadowing experiences. My high school was a good one, but I left unprepared for the real world. I had book knowledge, but I did not have street knowledge. Our YES volunteers, provide those missing links that many kids like me, would love to have. Do you have a special talent, or want someone else's high school or college career to turn out better than your own? Then we need you in YES. Many of our students will either be the first generation to complete high school or go to college. A volunteer might be that extra push that a teen needs to get them focused and in gear to do something after high school.

Big Chicken

Sat, 14 Jan 2012 18:22:41 +0000

Last week was very interesting. Although every week is usually crazy, there was one element that made it even more crazy... big chickens. After being away from the chickens for about 3 weeks, we came back to see that they were about 5 times bigger than when we last saw them. The whole experience was hectic, because it seemed as if everybody was scared of them, including me. After playing with them for awhile I started to get back to being comfortable with them. Hopefully they don't grow to much more, because I do not like big animals. Until then... I love em!

Astronomy

Sat, 14 Jan 2012 15:22:27 +0000

here are many different astronomy facts. First, astronomy is from the Greek for law of the stars. Second, as proven in the seventeenth century, the solar system is heliocentric, not geocentric. Third, astronomy is a very active field of physics because over ninety percent of the universe has not been examined or understood, due to limited technology, but not for lack of trying. With more research and more advances in technology, the field will grow.

Volunteering

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 15:42:49 +0000

Have you ever wanted to help someone? What is the most precious gift that you can give? If you said money, you are dead wrong! Time...this is something that once it is used, it cannot be replaced. Volunteering is a great time to give of yourself to someone and make a lasting impression. You never know whose life you can change for the better! It is so EASY to volunteer with our youth...complete an application, background check(free) and select days. It's that easy! Just look under volunteers and complete an application.

the plan for the hall

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 21:43:20 +0000

today in my compontent we went over what we were going ti do in the hall for the pludic to see next weekend. the three things we are doing are the refecltion, alien eyes, and pocket solar system.